The Beat
by editguy34
Summary: AU,FEMKuroko, Non-prodigy MiraGen-Kuroko is a normal girl, who likes to play guitar. Then, she met a tanned guitarist, who introduced her to his band. Now, these musicians are aiming for the top. follow them on their journey to reach it (no pairing yet, i wanna go deeper into the story)
1. Chapter 1 (Prologue)

"Your winnner for this years "Battle of the Bands" is... Generation M!"A loud cheer erupted from the crowd, and the band rushed onstage to accept their Prize. The Tanned guitarist was shouting into the air, while hugging his blue-haired bandmate,who was smiling with her eyes closed, determined to memorize the feeling. Their green-haired keyboardist was smiling whiling pushing up his glasses, and the their red haired lead singer was looking at his band, with an almost kind smile on his face. Their purple-haired drummer was chewing on a chocolate bar with a smile on his face. All six were savouring the victory. All their hardwork had paid off. They had done it.

-6 months ago-

Kuroko Tetsuka was humming to herself as she strummed the strings on her acoustic guitar. She was doing one of her normal morning rituals. Wake up, toothbrush,shower,put on clothes, fix hair,make breakfast,eat,wash dishes, play guitar. It was something she had been doing since she started living alone, a year ago. Her parents bought her the house when she had graduated from college, At the top of her class no less. She did not have a well-paying job, nor a need for one as she had a rather large amount of money saved up. Her bills were not large, and she made extra money from babysitting the child that lived next door to her. She mostly kept busy during the day by cleaning the house and going out in the afternoon and evenings. The guitar she was playing (A black **Fender Acoustic-Electric Dreadnought Guitar) **was a present she got from her uncle for her birthday last year. It was well cared for. The strings were recently and there were no visible scratches or dents on it anywhere.

Finishing her song, she stood up and placed her guitar on its stand beside her TV. She stretched, while wondering what she could do for the day since she had already cleaned the house the day before. She then walked into the kitchen to check her fridge and cupboard.

"Looks like I'm running low on food. Tolietries look ok. Cleanig supplies are running low as well."

She thought. She left her kitchen and walked up the stairs, into her room. She grabbed her wallet and checked the contents.

"I should withdraw some more money" She thought again.

So she left, remembering to lock the house. She then walked to the grocery store a few blocks away.

-after some time-

Kuroko turned to her right and entered the snack aisle.

"Lets see. Chips, chocolates. Pretsels. Marshmallows,cook-OOF" Kuroko fell down, after she hit what seemed to be a brick wall.

'Huh? Oh sorry, i didn't see you there" Kuroko looked up to see a tall purple-haired man towering over her, holding his hand out to help her up.

"Are you alright?"

Yes, I'm fine. Thank you" She accepted his hand and puller herself up. The man was surprised at how light she was.

"Ahh, my groceries." Kuroko said emotionlessly. She bent down to pick up the fallen items. The man bent down and helped her. With their combined efforts, they were done in no time.

Kuroko bowed."Thank you for your help" She said.

"No problem"

So the two seperated, Kuroko heading to the checkout while the purple haired man stayed behind, looking at the snacks.

-a while later-

Kuroko had placed all her groceries into her home, and left again to take a walk, determined not to let the good weather go to waste. While walking around the park near her home, she noticed a red-haired man playing shogi by himself.

"Isn't shogi meant to be played by 2 people?" she thought to herself. Shrugging her shoulders, she walked on. Soon, she reached a small stand that was giving away free books. She noticed a green-haired man standing by it. Ignoring him, she grabbed a book and started reading, while standing. Soon, the green-haired man put his book down and turned around, to see Kuroko standing there reading. The green-haired man jumped back, surprised by her. Realizing how foolished he looked, he straightened himself and walked by her, muttering an "excuse me" as he passes. Kuroko paid no attention and kept reading. Soon she grabbed a few books and walked away, still reading her book.

-another while later-

Kuroko was sitting under a tree, reading her book, when the sound of a guitar playing reached her ears. She put her book down and looked around, searching for the source. She zeroed in on a tanned man sitting under the tree oposite her. She stood up and walked over to him, listening to him play the guitar. She was mesmerised by the ways his fingers gracefully moved, and the sound of his guitar. When he finished playing, he looked up, to find Kuroko staring at him.

"WOAH!" he shouted, shocked at her sudden appearance.

"My apologies, i did not mean to startle you, i merely wished to hear you play."

The tanned man looked down, trying to hide his blush.

"S'okay, i should be apologising, overreacting and all." Kuroko blinked and nodded,

"Do you play guitar?"The man asked her.

"Yes." "What kind isit?"A **Fender Acoustic-Electric Dreadnought"**"Oh,cool" He said.

"I can see your playing a **Daisy Rock Pixie Series Acoustic-Electric Guitar, a **dark** blue one at that."**

The tanned man grinned.

"Yup, this baby is my pride and joy. I bouaght it with my own money." He stated proundly.

"I see."

'Whats your name?" "Kuroko Tetsuka"

"I'm Aomine me call you Tetsu"

"Okay"

"Soo, Tetsu, how about, tomorow, you bring your guitar here , and we can play together. That sound good."

"Yes please. That sounds fun."

"Alright." A alarm came from Aomine's pocket. He pulled it out, and clicked his tongue.  
"I need to go. SO i'll see you tomorow at this time?"

"Hai"  
"See ya then" The tanned man stood up, brushed his jeans, and left. Kuroko looked at his moving form for a bit, then stood up herself and decided to call it a day.

As she walked back home, she walked past a music shop, and noticed a black 4-stringed bass guitar hanging y the window. She took a few minutes to admire it.

-After dinner-

Kuroko was in the living room, watching TV. As her show went into comercial, She thought back to her day, and wondered what the following day would bring.


	2. Chapter 2(end of prologue)

**Hi! Thanks for reading**

**I don't own KNB, or the music mentioned in this chapter**

The night passed quickly. And soon, it was the next day. Kuroko woke up, and did her normal morning rituals. As she plated her eggs, she thought back to the day before. The thought of playing her guitar with someone, made her slightly nervous. Would the stranger be impressed with her, or laugh at her attempt.

Muttering a quick "Itadakimasu", she dug in.

-later that day,lunch time-

"I wonder if she's gonna come..." Aomine Daiki thought. Aomine had never met a girl who interested him to the extent Kuroko had. He was snapped out of his musing when a small hand was waved infront of his face. Looking up, he saw Kuroko and grinned at her. The sight of the guitar case on her back made him grin even wider. Patting the empty space beside him, he then proceeded to take his guitar from its case. Kuroko sat down wordlessly and removed her guitar from its case.

"What do you want to play?" Aomine asked

"U2... Sometimes you can't make it on your own" (This is in english people)

"Any particular reason?" "Its just a philosophy of mine" Aomine nodded.

"I see. Let's start then" Aomine then placed his fingers on the strings and played. Kuroko watched him, then started playing as well. Aomine noticed and paid attention to her.

"Her changing of chords is ok, though her strumming could use work." He observed. He was so preoccupied with her, that he failed to see everyone surrounding them stop what they were doing, and just stare. Now normally, some people would stop by and listen to Aomine play, but this time, the WHOLE PARK was listening. And they stayed like that for a few minutes.

Kuroko strummed the last few chords, and the whole park EXPLODED into applause. The two were stunned. They looked at each other, wondering what happened. Kuroko stood up and asked one of the park users (a brown haired girl, and her glasses wearing boyfriend) why they were clapping(though it took a few trys for them to notice) The girl was shocked. "Didn't you hear yourself play?!" Kuroko looked at her,confused. The girl huffed at her, and told her to play again, but to focus on the music this time. Kuroko nodded and walked back to Aomine,and asked if they could play one more time. Aomine readily aggreed, and grabbed his guitar. This time, the two played Beautiful Day. Aomine payed attention to the music(as in, his and Kuroko's combined) this time. He very nearly stopped playing when the shock got to him. While Kuroko's music was the same as last time, HIS music seemed to have become BETTER. He was flabberghasted. "How is that possible?!" He thought to himself. When the two finished, the crowd EXPLODED yet again. Kuroko looked at the crowd, seemingly impassive. But one could see the pride in her eyes. She had played in public, and no one had booed her. To her, that was an achievement. Aomine, looked at Kuroko for a few minutes, and decided on something.

"Do you have something on later?"

"No, I am free for the rest of the day."

"Good, cuz i wanna invite you to lunch. Have you eaten?"

"No. Why would you want to invite me to lunch?"She inquired

"You made alot of people clap on your 'debut' here. So you get a reward! A lunch date with me!" Aomine said, a cocky smile on his face.

"That seems more like a punishment to me" Kuroko said, in her monotone voice. But Aomine heard the joking undertone, and saw the smile on her face. He grinned at her joke, and packed away his guitar. He stood up and offered her his hand. Kuroko packed away her guitar, and accepted his outstretched hand. They then walked to the near-by mall, And Aomine made a casual remark.

"Tetsu, this looks like the start of a beautiul friendship."

"I agree, Aomine-kun"

**Sorry if its kinda short, i just wanted to put a start on Kuroko and Aomine's relationship. There's also gonna be a timeskip next chapter. Kagami will make an appearance in coming chapters, likewise Takao,Himuro,the crownless generals and Alex will as well. Some members of the Seirin team will also be in here.(though i can't guarantee they won't be genderbent :P ANyway, see ya.**

**P.S The GOM will appear next chapter as well.**

**P.P.S muffins to whoever can guess who Kuroko asked in the park (the girl)**


	3. Chapter 3 (How AOmine got into GM)

**And here ...we ... go**

**I do not, nor will ever, own the awesome kurobasu cast.**

**NOte: This all happened 6 months after the events of chapter 2**

**Ohh and Emily,gigi323,kp,hitomi65,ANimeXMangaAddict. you guys are the winners of virtual Muffins :D Anyway thanks for the reviews. review this on as well!**

Kuroko and Aomine were sipping hot chocolate. The nights had begun to turn cold, and so the heater was turned on to high, and the two were sitting on the sofa, enjoying the warmth.

The two had become close friends during the months that had passed. They often visited each other, and either usually jammed,went out to play basketball (Aomine was surprised at the skill Kuroko displayed), or just sit around and chat. Though since it was starting to get cold, the two stayed indoors more often. They were so close that Aomine's roomate, Imayoshi Shoichi, often teased the two about "Being a couple" and often left whenever Kuroko came over, teasing Aomine by saying things like "I don't want to invade your privacy" or "There are some spare condoms in the drawer".

Aomine,being Aomine, would throw one of the spare basketballs lying around at him. Imayoshi, being the bastard that he was, would dodge, laugh at Aomine, and disappear to God knows where.

Kuroko, with her extra-ordinary observation skills, knew that, while Imayoshi enjoyed teasing and messing with Aomine, he really truly cared for him and wanted the best for him. Though,she had to admit, he had a strange way of showing it.

Anyway, the two were currently at Kuroko's house, having just finished a jamming session.

"Aomine-kun, can you tell me more about your band?" Kuroko asked

"What do you wanna know?" Aomine asked back.

"Tell me about your bandmates personalities."

"Alright,alright. Settle down child, and I'll tell you a story about Generation M." Aomine said, mimicking the voice a grandmother would use when she was about to tell a story, and teasing Kuroko about her child-like build. Kuroko just threw a pillow at him.

"Anyway, first of them is our lead singer. His name is Akashi Seijuro, and he's the founder of the band. He's ...not the person you want to ask when you need something from a high place." Aomine said, before looking around fearfully, as if expecting someone...or SOMETHING to fly from the shadows and do terrible terrible things to him. Finally deciding he was safe, he looked at Kuroko and continued.

"He has eyes that are of diferent colour, and he's got crazy red hair. His observation skills are just as good as yours. And he hates it when you diss his height." This time, he looked around again

"Anyway, he carry's scissors with him everywhere he goes, but he's got this voice that... its crazy good. He likes playing shogi with our keyboardist. He's sadistic, I tell you. he nearly destroyed Satsuki when we first met!" he said, refering to his guitar.

"Where did you two meet?"

"Club. I was hanging out with Shoichi and he introduced me to him. Honestly, now that i think about it, I'm not surprised that those two sadists knew each other so well" Aomine grumbled into his chocolate,before taking a sip.

"Aomine-kun, you know Imayoshi-kun doesn't mean you any harm." Kuroko chided gently.

"Yeah,physically." He snorted before continuing

"Anyway, we were chatting over some drinks, then the owner of the club got onstage and asked if any 'Musically-talented people' wanted to earn some money. So Akashi asked me if I could play guitar for him while he sang.

So we got onstage and played Airplanes by the plain white T's. Shoichi was with us onstage by the way. and the _WHOLE_ damn bar stopped moving and just stared at us. It was freaky like...shit it was-HEY"

"Language Aomine-kun,Language."

"Yeah yeah. Anyway we played and when we were finished, like the whole damn club just _exploded_. Kinda like at the park."Aomine added after a few moments.

"Then afterwards, the club owner payed us ten thousand yen each. I thought that was it, till Akashi spoke to me at the bus stop.

-FLASHBACK-

"Daiki, would you like to be in a band?"

"Hah? Why the hell would -HEY! PUT SATSUKI DOWN!"

"Daiki, I suggest you rethink your answer, otherwise, What was it? Ah yes, Satsuki might meet with an 'Accident'. Really, It would be such a waste of a perfectly functioning guitar" He threatened, a smirk on his face. Akashi was currently standing by the road, posed to throw Satsuki onto the streets, and the path of the many cars passing by.

"Shoichi! Help me out here!"

"No can do, Daiki-kun"

"Bastard! Ahh alright, I'll join your band. Just give me back Satsuki!"

"Good answer. Here." He handed the guitar over to Aomine.

"My bus is here, so I shall be going on ahead. I expect to see you at Rakuzan recording studio on Monday. Five o'clock in the evening, on the dot. And if you attempt to go back on your word, Hell's doors will be open just for you" He walked past Aomine, a malicious grin on his handsome face.

Turning back, he said something to the furious guitarist.

"Oh, and Daiki?"

"What?" He snarled

"I never truly meant to throw Satsuki onto the road."

Turning back, Akashi left Aomine to grumble, and Aomine wondered if he had just made the biggest mistake of his life. He nodded at Imayoshi before boarding the bus

-Present-

"He seems scary"

"That's an understatement" Aomine snorted, before grabbing the thermos on the table to refill his cup.

"Anyway, I went to the studio on Monday, and found Akashi with the rest of the band. The next person i'm gonna talk about, is our keyboardist. Midorima Shintaro. He's got green hair and wears glasses. He also tapes his left hand and always has a wierd item with him. Like a frog plushy, or a fishing rod. I asked him about that, and he started spouting some nonsense about "fortune" and some weirdo called "Oha-Asa" Who the hell is Oha-Asa!?"

"She is a fortune teller. She can tell whether your day will be good or bad depending on you star sign."

Aomine snorted."Sounds like a load of BS to me. Lucks all in your head. But hey, who am I to stop him from looking like a retard? Least its good for some laughs."

"Anyway, the other dude is a tall guy called Murasakibara Atsushi. He's got purple hair, and he's tall as hell. Way taller than you" He smirked.

Kuroko threw a pillow at him, and the basketball on the floor beside her too. Aomine dodged both and laughed at her, before continuing on with his story

"Anyway, He's the drummer, and he's a hell of a glutton. I mean, I eat alot, but this dude has food in his mouth twenty-four-seven. And he's got a poker face as good as yours too." He paused to take a sip of his hot chocolate.

"So we practiced this song Akashi wrote, and we were actually pretty good. But Akashi didn't think so, and we practiced and practiced till ten! We only had three breaks!" Aomine complained. Kuroko rolled her eyes at her friends complaints.

"I wonder why the other two joined the band?" Kuroko wondered out loud.

"I asked them during break." Aomine replied.

-Flashback-

"So why'd you two join his band?" Aomine asked, wiping away his sweat with a towel.

"A friend of mine introduced me to him, and we played shogi together. I won every game. During the final game however, He made a bet with me. Should he beat me, I would join his band as the keyboardist. If I won, he would buy all the lucky items i needed for the rest of the year. Long story short, he beat me in ten moves."

Aomine burst into laughter at that.

"Serves you right!"

Midorima glared at him while pushing up his glasses.

Turning to Murasakibara,

"And you?"

"Aka-chin gave me food"

The other two sweatdropped at the answer

"Alright, breaks over. Come on back here" Akashi called out to them from the recording room

-Present-

"And that's that."

Suddenly, an alarm sounded from Aomine's cellphone.

"Hold up, I'm getting a message."

Pulling out his phone, Aomine checked the message, and scowled.

"Whats wrong?"

"Damnit, Akashi's calling for an immediate band meeting. Sorry Kuroko, I need to go"

"No, its alright. I understand." Shaking her head, Kuroko stood up to open the door.

"Would you like another jacket?"

"Nah, I'll be fine. See you, some other night."

Nodding her head, Kuroko waved goodbye to Aomine as he left.

-Rakuzan Studio, Thirty minutes later-

"I'm here!" Aomine called out as he entered the studio.

"Daiki! Where were you! We were supposed to start fifteen minutes earlier!" Akashi hissed at the newly arrived member of Generation M.

"I was with my friend! You know, the one who lives EVEN FARTHER from here than my own home!"

Akashi glared at him.

"Fine, you get of this time." Turning to the other members, He started the meeting.

"After these months of practice, I have found the flaw that our band has."

He was silent for a few minutes, looking at each member.

Aomine, who is an impatient person by nature, asked the question everyone had on their mind.

"What is it?"

"Our individual talents in music are good, but they do not tie well together. In other words, we need a bassist. I...was wrong when i started this band with the thought of "A bassist is not needed". I was truly very wrong when i made that assumption, and now it has come to haunt us. So, if we want to have a chance of winning that" He pointed to a poster on the wall. "we will need to find one. That is all." He said, dissmising his bandmembers. As Aomine stood up, Akashi called to him.

"Not you Daiki. I have a few quiestions for you."

So Aomine sat down, thinking that Akashi would give him a lecture on tardiness. But what Akashi said next, caught him by surprise.

"Daiki, that girl you talk about. Kuroko Tetsuka was it? Does she have any musical experience?"

"She plays acoustic guitar. Why?" Aomine asked, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Tell me about her music."

"Well, its strange. If she plays by herself its nothing special, but if she plays with someone else, its a whole different story." Aomine replied, thinking back to the numerous jam sessions the two had done together.

"Tell me more"

"Whoever plays with her, THEIR music gets better. Example. Normally, when I play at the park, a bunch of poeple stay and listen to me. But if she plays with me, then the ENTIRE park will stop to listen. Its also pretty consistent. Every time i play with her, I can notice the difference in my music. Anything else?"

"Next practice is on thursday, 4 o' clock. I want you to bring her with you"

"What? Alright. Why?"

"Because if my hunch is right, I think we've found a solution to our problem." Akashi stated. He then stood up and walked out of the room.

Aomine knew that meant he was dismissed. So he stood up and walked out of the room as well. Looking at the clock at the lobby, Aomine saw that it was too late to go back to Kuroko's house. So he decided to go home.

**And there. I've answered a few quiestions, but i gave a few more as well. WHat was that poster about? YOu'll see. **

**CYA next time**


	4. Authors note

**Alright alright, heres what happens. In the following chapters, i'm gonna add songs. What i need, is a capable songwriter who can help me, because i am a terrible terrible one. I just can't make anything up unless its a plot for a story. SO i need an experienced songwriter(or one thats decent) to help me. EIther by taking a look at the stuff i write, or by writing a song for my chapters. And no, you won't get paid. sorry. **

**PS. there is a poll on my chapter. You need to vote who gets to be with Kuroko as the final pairing for "The Beat".**

**P.P.S the next chapter will be up tonight, with no song. The next one won't be up till i can get a songwriter. or i can get better at songwriting. Cya**


	5. Chapter 4(Kuroko's in the band)

**Here we have another short chapter. SOrry.**

**i DON'T, NOR EVER WILL, OWN THE KUROBASU CAST**

**NOte, the song mentioned, was one of my self written songs, so sorry if its not nice**

-Rakuzan Studio, 4:10 p.m-

"Yo, we're here!" Aomine called out to the members of Generation M, while dragging a girl into the room with him. Midorima and Murasakibara stared at the girl, while Akashi talked to the newly arrived pair.

"I take it this girl is Kuroko Tetsuka?" He inquired, looking at Aomine. The man nodded, and Akashi smiled at Kuroko. "Welcome to our band practice. Thank you for coming." Akashi said, bowing slightly to Kuroko. "I'm Akashi Seijuro. That man," He was pointing to Midorima. "Is Midorima Shintaro. While he," He was pointing to Murasakibara. "Is Murasakibara Atsushi."

Kuroko nodded at Akashi, before giving her greetings (with a bow, of course). Akashi guided her to a seat in the corner, before grabbing the mic in the middle of the room. He looked each of his bandmates, bofore giving the signal to Murasakibara to start the countdown. "A one, a two, a one two three four!"

"_Lets say that we met, under that starry night. Covered in_ the_ dark, looking at each other. Your eyes were shining,and lips were smiling..."_

As Akashi sang on, Kuroko's emotionless face slid off, to reveal a look of thoughtfulness, as she watched Aomine launch into a guitar solo.

-After the song-

"How were we" Akashi asked, looking at Kuroko while taking a sip from his fruit juice.

The members of the band, were sitting in the canteen, everyone eating or drinking something.

Kuroko sipped from her vanilla shake, before speaking. "While the music is good, it didn't blend well. It felt like, Aomine-kun's guitar, Midorima-kun's keyboards, and Murasakibara-kun's drums weren't...how should I say this? Speaking the same language."

Midorima, Aomine, and even Murasakibara were staring at her, eyes and mouth wide open in shock.

Akashi nodded, his eyes closed. "Its as I feared. Even some one like Kuroko, who has ,please do not take offence at this, minimal experience in music can detect that flaw in our band."

The members all looked down, at their food/drinks, digesting what Akashi said, absorbing its meaning. Eventually, Midorima looked up, and asked something. "What are we supposed to do then?"

Akashi grinned at him. "I'm glad you asked. That, is where Tetsuka comes in. She will be our bassist, the one who will mix our music."

Kuroko looked surprised at this, and turned to Akashi.

"Akashi-kun, I'm glad you have faith in me, but I, erm, cannot play the bass!"

"Yes, i know. But, I have a friend who will be able to teach you that. So if you learn it, will you be a member of our band, and help us achieve our dream?"

"What is your dream?"

"To perform with the other top performers in our country, and even overseas stars, at the new years celebration concert. The winner will recieve a recording contract. I want to bring this band to the very top, but to do that, we must first beat this regions performers in the Christmas "Battle of the Bands" held in Tokyo."

Kuroko looked at everyone sitting at the table. Making her decision, Kuroko looks at Akashi. "I accept. I wish to be part of this band, as the bassist."

Akashi nodded, and smiled. "Then I welcome you, to Generation M. Next practice session will be at 4 O'Clock, next Friday. Your teacher will come to your house tonight. Daki shall bring him there, Won't you,Daiki?" "Yeah." Good. You have a week and one day, Tetsuka. I wish you luck. You are all dismissed." Akashi announced, standing up. The rest of the members stood up.

Murasakibara welcomed and wished Kuroko luck, while Midorima just huffed as he walked past.

-Later, Kuroko's house, 7:08 PM-

Kuroko answered the knock on her door. What she found, when she opened it, was her best friend Aomine Daiki, bickering with a shorter, black-haired boy, who was carrying two guitar cases.

"I'm coming in with you. I don't trust leaving Kuroko alone with you for an hour!"

"Alright, but don't get in the way of our lesson!" "Why the hell would I do that! We need her, baka." Aomine noticed the open door, and saw Kuroko.

"Yo, Tetsu. I brought your teacher." The black haired boy smiled at her. "Hey, I'm Takao Kazunari."

"Kuroko Tetsuka. I'll be in your care." Kuroko bowed to Takao.

"Well, lets get started. There's plenty of stuff to learn! I'm coming in!" And so Takao entered, with Aomine behind him.

**Pretty short, sorry. BUt don't worry, THe next one will be a bit more wordy.**

**P.S some people want to know when Kise will appear. Another chapter or 2 sadly, before he happens.**

**P.P.S Akashi didn't ask Takao to join as bassist, because he is already in band (and doesn't have Kuroko's "ability")**


	6. Chapter 5 The first show (part 1)

**Yo, been a while. Miss me? Sorry for the late chapter, but i was super busy. Busy How? Can't say. Anyway here's a new chapter, with Kise's appearance. I'll try to get a new chapter up tomorrow, hopefully a bit more wordy. **

**I don't, nor ever will, own KnB, and i don't own the song(s) menntioned in this chapter.**

The days passed, and soon December arrived. Kuroko was sipping from her thermos bottle of hot chocolate as she walked with Akashi to the studio. During the days that had past, she had gotten closer to all the members of Generation M after her introduction.

-Flashback,3 weeks ago,Rakuzan studio-

The sound of a guitar being plucked reverberated around the recording booth. Kuroko was playing one of her favourite songs, the very first one she learnt to play.

_Swaying room as the music starts_  
_Strangers making the most of the dark_  
_Two by two their bodies become one_

_I see you through the smokey air_  
_Can't you feel the weight of my stare_  
_You're so close but still a world away_  
_What I'm dying to say, is that_

While singing, Kuroko liked to close her eyes, and she was so absorbed in her song, that she did not notice a pair of hetechromatic eyes staring at her from the door, nor did she notice the aforementioned door open, and the man staring at her till she heard a different voice sing the chorus

_I'm crazy for you_  
_Touch me once and you'll know it's true_  
_I never wanted anyone like this_  
_It's all brand new, you'll feel it in my kiss_  
_I'm crazy for you, crazy for you_

Kuroko opened her eyes to find her band leader, Akashi Seijuro, looking back at her, both hands in the front pockets of his (expensive-looking) red jacket, a familiar smirk etched upon his handsome face.

"I didn't think you had a taste for older music, Tetsuka."

"No, just this one and a few others." She answered back, easily concealing the unease she felt. Being in the same room with Akashi scared her to some extent, after hearing what he was capable of from Aomine. Unconciously, she tightened the grip on her guitar. This did not go unnoticed by Akashi. Raising an eyebrow, he asked her "Does being with me disgust you?"

"N-no, its not that." Kuroko answered,biting her lips,looking away.

"Then why do you seem so tense."

Kuroko couldn't think of anything to say, so she said the truth.

"Aomine-kun...told me about what you did to make him join your band." She whispered, looking embarrased.

Letting out a sigh, Akashi looked at her before speaking gently.

"I did what I did because I desperately needed a guitarist, who was capable of matching up to me. Daiki was the only one who stood out to me, so I had to get him to join us. Please understand, I had to do it, I'm not a bad person. And I truly was not going to throw Satsuki onto the road." He added the last part after a few minutes of thinking,as an afterthought.

Kuroko looked at Akashi again,taking note of the expression on his face. It reminded her of a child who was apologising to his parent, asking for a second chance. Kuroko was only human, so she did what any other person with a clear concience would have done. She looked away, and apologized, embarrassment clear in her language,both vocal and body. Akashi grinned, and stood up, back to his old self.

" Well, now that we're past that, get ready, breaks about to end." He turned around and left the booth, presumably to round up the remaining members of the band. Kuroko wondered if she had just been fooled, before getting up to retrieve the bass guitar leaning againt the wall behind her. While she was moving, the only thought in her mind was

"The stage lost an amazing actor the moment Akashi-kun decided to be a singer"

-Present-

Kuroko snapped out of her thoughts when the door to the studio opened and warm air assaulted her face. She looked around and realized that only Akashi,Midorima and her were there. Aomine and Murasakibara had not yet arrived. So she went to sit on the soft sofa in the lounge, taking a sip from her hot chocolate, which had a large spoonful of vanilla added to it. She then glanced at Midorima, before diving into another memory, of how she and Midorima got closer

-Flashback-

"Midorima-Kun, why did you start listening to the Horoscope?"

"My aunt. She brought me a lucky item, and made me promise to listen to Oha-Asa like her. I never regretted that promise."

"I didn't ask you if you regretted it."

The embarrassed Midorima looked away, blushing. The two were chatting in the lounge, waiting for Akashi,Aomine, and Murasakibara to appear.

"Do you think its weird, that I believe in the horoscope?"

"No, why would I? I think everybody needs to have something they believe in. Like I believe that this band will definitely wow everybody at the show" Kuroko looked at Midorima as she said that, her voice full of determination. Midorima looked at her, before slowly nodding. Silence followed, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Kuroko liked to think that it was in that silence that they somehow formed a bond.

-Present-

The band was assembled in the booth, recieving a briefing from Akashi. The frequency of these briefings was increasing now that the competition was getting closer and closer. This particular briefing, Akashi was warning all of them to keep their hands and (in Murasakibara's case) feet protected and of course, meant that basketball was a no-no. But since it was getting colder, Aomine and Kuroko didn't mind the temporary ban from their favourite sport. And so the briefing concluded.

They all went to their respective places, Murasakibara in the back, his large frame easily seen over the shorter forms of Akashi. Midorima was to his right, easily seen since only Kuroko was infront of him. Aomine took his place in between Kuroko and Akashi. And so Murasakibara counted down.

"One,two,three,four" He counted as he tapped his sticks to each number.

-Later,8 PM-

"Alright, practice is over. Good job everyone. Oh, one more thing. We are going to have our first major performance." The news took a few minutes to sink in, and when it did.

"Hah!" Aomine looked at Akashi, incredulous.

"Daiki, we have been doing well, so I think we need to step it up. Or do you think we're still so bad that we can't show others our music?" Akashi glared at Aomine, daring him to answer. Aomine knew anything he said would probably get a pair of scissors thrown at him, so he said nothing and shook his head. Akashi relaxed, before turning to Midorima.

"Shintaro, I need you to help me with some thing. You three, are free to go. I'll message you the time and place to meet.

So the drummer, bassist and guitarist went off. They walked together as far as the train station, as reaching Murasakibara home required a train ride. So it was soon just Aomine and Kuroko walking back together.

Aomine decided to start a conversation.

"Are you nervous about your first show?"

"A bit. I've never played on stage before."

"Ha? Its not that different from playing in the park."

"It's very different, at least to me."

Aomine stepped in front of Kuroko, blocking her path. He grabbed her chin and forced her to look up.

"Hey, you're gonna be great. Why do you think we've been practicing so hard. You've leveled up alot." Aomine looked down at Kuroko, smirking at her. Kuroko found this look fit Aomine the best. The moonlight shined down on him, making him look almost ethereal. That smirk seemed to fit him as well. Kuroko felt something within her start fluttering. Squashing the feeling, she decided to play with Aomine a bit

"If I didn't know any better, I might think Aomine-kun wanted a kiss." Kuroko smiled slightly. Aomine realized how their position looked. He hastily let go of Kuroko's face and backed up, stuttering some excuse.

Kuroko giggled, before running to catch up to Aomine.

-The next day-

Kuroko walked out of her house to throw some garbage. On her way back to her house gates, she heard a loud commotion. She turned, and was roughly shoved down. She opened her eyes to find gold eyes and a handsome face staring at her.

The man jumped up and apologized profusely, before looking back fearfully. Kuroko realized that something was chasing this man. So she pulled him through her gates before locking them. He sat down, against the fence, gulping in some air. Hidden from the outside. Soon, a large group of girls ran by, shrieking something

Looking up at his saviour, he gave her a smile.

"Thank you. I was nearly mauled."

"I don't think they were going to hurt you that bad." Kuroko said, frowning slightly.

Chuckling, the man stood up and held his hand out to her.

"Kise Ryota"

Kuroko took his hand and shook it.

"Kuroko Tetsuka."

The man looked at her strangely.

"Don't you know me?"

Kuroko tilted her head slightly.

"Should I?"

"N-Never mind. Thanks again for saving me."

"No problem"

She moved to unlock the gates, and Kise walked out.

"I'll see you around, Kurokocchi" Kuroko looked at Kise strangely, puzzled by the nickname.

He turned and left. Kuroko shrugged before re-locking her gates and entering her house. Her phone buzzed where she left it on the table. She picked it up and examined the contents of the message, and nearly dropped it when she saw Kise's picture

"The time and meeting place are X PM and X Cafe respectively.

P.S There is another band performing with us. Attached are the pictures of the band members and their positions."

Kasamatsu Yukio: Bassist

Moriyama Yoshitaka: Keyboards

Hayakawa Mitsuhiro: Lead guitarist

Kobori Hiroshi: Drums

Kise Ryota: Vocals

**Well how was it? Yes i know that i wrote that Kise was a part of their band earlier, but i decided that i couldn't fit him into Generation M. **

**But don't you worry your heads you KiKuro fans, he's still got a chance to be with Kuroko. Anyway, remember to vote. Poll's gonna 1 week before Christmas!**

**P.s If you can't visualize their places well enough because my description sucks, then think of 3-2 zone defence, with Midorima and Murasakibara at the back. **

**AIt, cya**


End file.
